Dear YSPH Community,
Soon, we will come together to mark the 30th anniversary of National Public Health Week from April 7-13.
This week is a time to remember how far the field has come. There’s lots to celebrate – from the lives saved worldwide by vaccine development and distribution, to how tobacco policies influence cancer rates, to the advancement of food as medicine.
But this week is also a chance to remind ourselves of some of the tougher lessons from the history of our field. Personally, I’m thinking about how, in the 1980s and 1990s, it was only through the persistent voices of patients and communities affected by HIV/AIDS that we modernized the process of scientific research, changed how we approved new pharmaceuticals, and reduced the stigma that was enhancing the spread of the disease. Unfortunately, it took another decade for these scientific and societal wins to be shared with affected communities in Sub-Saharan Africa. Those disparities, disappointments, and learnings shaped the early days of my own career. And they feel so salient today, reminding me that outstanding science is necessary but not sufficient for changing the public’s health.
Today, as we face a new set of challenges – and a new mandate to demonstrate how and why our work matters for everyone – NPHW can help us both honor the successes of the past and build a new future. So please join us at one of our many events to mark National Public Health Week:
- Attend a Leaders in Public Health conversation with Harvard professor and former Costa Rican health leader Dr. Roman F. Macaya.
- Take a break, share a meal, and unplug with YSPH’s wellness counselor.
- Attend a “Journey Lecture” with Professor Hongyu Zhao.
- Participate in an Alumni Insights Panel & Networking Event.
- Let us know how you are participating each day for a chance to win YSPH merch.
- Spread the word about this week’s Stand up for Public Health donation campaign, which helps support financial aid for our amazing students! Donate $100 to receive a pair of exclusive YSPH-branded socks – a small token of our appreciation for helping students stay on solid ground. Make your gift today and help them stride confidently into their future!
I’m proud to be alongside you at YSPH, steadfast in our mission to educate and equip the world’s best public health scientists, practitioners, and leaders. Your work matters more than ever, and this community gives me hope.
Sincerely,
Megan L. Ranney, MD, MPH, FACEP
Dean, Yale School of Public Health
C.-E. A. Winslow Professor of Public Health